Penn State student: Why I didn't join the Paterno protests

It’s a somber day in Happy Valley. In the last 72 hours, we’ve lost our legendary football coach. We’ve had the name of our beloved university connected with a child sex abuse scandal. We’ve been the center of a media storm that has reached not just nationwide, but across the world. It feels like there’s an unspoken question in the air: Who are we?

As a senior graduating in May, I’ve always known that Penn State’s legacy — from its sterling academic reputation to its famous football coach and team, to its huge alumni base — would precede me. That used to be reassuring. Now it scares me.

I fear we will be known as “that university with the sex scandal.” I fear we will be remembered as the students who forgot to remember the victims, because we were too busy worrying about losing our local hero and our sense of identity as a university. And I fear we will lose the prestige that has always been attached to Penn State.

On Wednesday night, instead of gathering in peaceful support of the victims, angry students tipped a news van and tore light poles out of the ground to protest the board of trustees’ decision. I stayed in the safety of my nearby apartment as police cars raced up the street outside, and I watched my Facebook and Twitter pages explode.

For every person back home who supported Penn State, another had criticism. They labeled us as having a cult mentality, first for our school spirit, then for our decline into madness as the riots began. For the last three days, headlines have used the phrases Penn State, JoePa and child sex abuse in all possible combinations. That seems to be all people see right now.

It’s not for me to comment whether JoePa did all he should with regard to this situation. And I’ll be the first to say that I’m not the world’s biggest football fan. I’m proud of my football team and all they do, but I’m not a sports person. I’ve only been to one game during my four years on campus so, no, I can’t say I truly understand the fervor and passion that is Penn State football.

Brittany Stoner

But therein lies the bottom line. I didn’t choose Penn State for its football legacy. I chose Penn State for its academics and its reputation for helping children and giving back to the community. That reputation should not be put at risk. At the end of the day, we are football, but we also are so much more.

We are the university that makes breakthroughs in research and produces award-winning scholars. One of our astronomers just discovered three planets. I fear people will forget our work and our contributions. We are the university whose students stand for 46 hours to raise money for kids with cancer. Last year, students raised more than $9 million. This year, I fear fewer people will donate because Penn State’s name has been embroiled in scandal.

Maybe this is why students felt they had to destroy the news van parked downtown — the media, which has always covered our triumphs, is broadcasting our shame, our embarrassment and our pain for all to see. But our loyalty and spirit remain.

We are still a university whose students and alumni are united through a love of all things blue and white, whether that means football or academics. We have spent the last 72 hours in an emotional maelstrom listening to rumors, criticisms and news we never thought would happen during our time here.

We question what this will mean for the future of our university. We are confused, angry and upset. But we are still Penn State.